This invention relates to apparatus for joining together the ends of a multiplicity of yarns with the ends of another respective multiplicity of yarns substantially simultaneously to form the yarns into respective continuous strands of yarns utilizing air to entangle, intertwine or twist the yarn pairs together, and more particularly to apparatus having a multiplicity of splicing chambers each for receiving and splicing together a pair of yarn ends by air supplied under pressure to all of the chambers from the same source.
In order to join one yarn end to another, such as the yarn end at the end of a first yarn cone and the yarn end at the beginning of a second yarn cone so that a continuous length of yarn may be fed to various textile machines, such as a tufting machine forming carpet pile, the art has developed two basic types of yarn splicers. One of these splicers operates by using heat to join the ends of thermoplastic yarn and the other operates by air entanglement whereby air under pressure is applied to a chamber in which the pair of yarn ends are disposed to entangle the fibers at the ends of the yarn and join the yarn ends together.
Although there are several heat splicers known in the prior art wherein a multiplicity of thermoplastic yarn ends may be spliced together, the known air entanglement splicers are hand-held units that only splice two yarn ends together at a time. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,975, a moveable heat splicing unit is disclosed which moves transversely across the yarns to be spliced to make successive splices, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,214 moves a heating element into engagement with a multiplicity of yarn ends at the same time to splice the yarn ends substantially simultaneously. In air entanglement splicers, on the other hand, the known apparatus are hand-held units such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,357,740; 4,825,630; 4,833,872; 4,788,814; 4,538,407 and 3,572,025 which are hand-held splicers of the type under consideration.
One of the problems in developing an air entanglement splicer is that all of the yarn ends must be cut and thereafter joined. In heat splicing apparatus, this is not the case since the cutting and joining of the yarn ends occurs as the heat melts the yam ends while joining them together. Of course, it must be understood, that only thermoplastic yams which effectively melt and bond together may be spliced using heat splicing techniques. Additionally, with air entanglement twisted cabled filament yarn, especially polypropylene, and air entangled yam, a hand technique may be required including a wiping action to pull the yarns slowly out of the air entanglement chamber under a finger of the user.